Why it matters

Bottleneck theory frames generalization. Understanding shapes intuition.

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The architecture

Fit phase: memorize + label.

Compression phase: discard nuisance.

Generalization from compression.

Information bottleneckFit phasememorize input + labelCompress phasediscard nuisanceGeneralizetask-relevant reprDebated: not all networks show compression phase; regularizer matters
Bottleneck theory.
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How it works end to end

Mutual information (X; T) vs (T; Y).

Two-phase training dynamics.

Explains generalization heuristically.